As the volume of communications and information has exponentially increased over the past two decades, it has become increasing difficult to identify priority communications from less urgent communications, and in some cases from unwanted communications, and then process the priority communications in accordance with their priority status.
Merchants, such as business owners, and/or providers of products and services, are often particularly interested in identifying priority communications from potential customers, or significant clients.
As one example, a merchant who provides services may need to process communications from some of the merchant's clients, i.e., “priority clients”, or customers of the merchant's priority clients, on a priority or expedited basis. Consequently, the merchant would find it very helpful to identify communications from the merchant's priority clients, or customers of the merchant's priority clients, in order to efficiently use processing resources.
For instance, credit approval services are often contractually obligated to process credit applications from potential customers of their larger, “priority clients” in defined timeframes, such as within minutes or hours. However, currently, when a customer of a priority client calls in, electronically submits, or otherwise attempts to contact, the credit approval service, the credit approval service typically has no idea if the customer, i.e., the source party of the communication, is a customer of a priority client or a customer of some other client. Consequently, in this situation, the credit approval service must either employ sufficient resources, such as processing agents, to process all communications as if they were from a customer of the priority client, i.e., so that all credit applications from all sources are processed within the timeframe of the contract with the priority clients, or risk failing to meet their contractual obligation with the priority clients. Clearly, processing all communications as if they were from a customer of a priority client is an inefficient use of resources; however, failing to meet contractual obligations with priority clients is equally unattractive.
As another example, a merchant who provides products or services may want to process communications from customers, or potential customers, who meet one or more priority criteria indicating the communications from these “priority customers” need to be processed as soon as possible to avoid losing their business.
For instance, a car dealer may consider a customer who is currently at a competitor car dealer's location to be a “priority customer”. In this instance, the car dealer may well want to process any communications from this priority customer, such as a credit pre-approval application, or even a simple phone call, as quickly as possible and at a higher priority than communications from other potential customers. However, currently, when this type of priority customer calls from a mobile phone, or otherwise attempts to contact the car dealer, using a communication system associated with the priority customer, as opposed to the competing car dealer, the car dealer typically has no idea if the communication is from a priority customer or some other customer or party. Consequently, in this situation, the car dealer must choose between staffing at levels that allow each communication to be treated as a priority communication or risk losing priority customers to a competitor. Again this is a lose-lose choice for the merchant.
As another example, a merchant who provides products or services may want to process communications from customers, or potential customers, who meet one or more proximity priority criteria indicating the communications from these “priority customers” need to be processed as soon as possible to avoid losing their business.
For instance, a merchant who provides local services, such as a dry cleaner or food service merchant, may consider a customer who is currently in the area to be a “priority customer”. In this instance, the merchant may well want to process any communication from a priority customer within a certain distance of the merchant's business, such as within the same mall or shopping center as the merchant's business, as quickly as possible and at a higher priority than communications from other potential customers. However, currently, when this type of priority customer calls in, or otherwise attempts to contact the merchant, using a mobile communication system for instance, the merchant typically has no idea if the communication is from a priority customer or some other customer or party. Consequently, in this situation, the merchant must also choose between staffing at levels that allow each communication to be treated as a priority communication or risk losing some priority customers. Again this is a lose-lose choice for the merchant.
As a result of the situation discussed above, merchants are currently often forced to choose between two undesirable options, committing the resources to allow each communication to be treated as a priority communication, or risk losing priority customers and/or clients. Clearly this is a far from ideal situation for both the merchants and their customers.